Leader of the House of Lords

House of Lords Composition

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 26 October (HL2541), whether they will publish the latest figures on the number of members of each party in the House, and the ratio of government to opposition members, including all those peers whose introduction has been scheduled.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: Including all those peers whose introduction or retirement has been advertised in House of Lords Business, and assuming no other changes to the membership of the House, as of 19 January 2016 there will be 249 members on the Conservative benches, 212 members on the Labour benches, and 112 members on the Liberal Democrat benches. This means that there will be 75 more peers on the benches of the largest two opposition parties than on the Government benches.That will be 29 more peers than at the end of the 2009-10 session, when there were only 46 more peers on the benches of the largest two opposition parties than on the Government benches.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 October (HL2879) concerning the 1998 Belfast Agreement, whether any change to the name of a town or city in Northern Ireland requires the majority support of both communities.

Lord Dunlop: I refer the Noble Lord to my previous answer of 29 October 2015 (HL2879). The Government remains fully committed to supporting the institutions and principles established under the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 27 October (HL2714) concerning activity under the 1998 Belfast Agreement, whether any representatives of the government of the Republic of Ireland were present at the most recent talks under Section 1 of the Belfast Agreement.

Lord Dunlop: I refer the Noble Lord to my previous answers on this subject. The involvement of the Irish Government is in accordance with the established three-stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs and the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

Enterprise Zones: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what communications they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the creation of Enterprise Zones in Northern Ireland.

Lord Dunlop: The Government communicates with the Northern Ireland Executive frequently on a wide range of issues.In ‘Building a United and Prosperous Community’ (the ‘Economic Pact’) signed in June 2013, the Government made a commitment to consider any Executive-nominated sites to be designated as an Enterprise Zone. Budget 2014 announced that businesses located within the Executive’s proposed pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine could benefit from enhanced capital allowances until 2020.I understand the Executive continues to work towards the implementation of this pilot Enterprise Zone.

Local Government: Devolution

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what communications they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the establishment of City Deals in Northern Ireland.

Lord Dunlop: The Government communicates with the Northern Ireland Executive frequently on a wide range of issues.The Economic Pact between the Executive and the Government was modelled on some of the approaches the Government takes with City Deals but many of the policies included in City Deals in Great Britain are devolved in Northern Ireland and are the responsibility of the Executive.

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what process is in place to monitor the actions of the government of the Republic of Ireland relating to the 1998 Belfast Agreement.

Lord Dunlop: The Government remains in regular contact with the Irish Government relating to the Belfast Agreement in accordance with the established three-stranded approach.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

STEM Subjects: Graduates

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates who were not in education or employment one year after graduation, in each of the last five years.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on the destinations of leavers from UK Higher Education Institutions six months after graduation. The information requested is provided in the table.UK Domiciled full-time first degree leavers from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Subjects (STEM)[1] not in employment or further study 6 months after graduation[2][3][4]2009/102010/112011/12[5]2012/132013/14Percentage not in employment or further study8.9%8.7%8.4%7.2%6.2%Base Population81,29085,59587,91095,390101,465[1] STEM subjects are defined by HESA as Subject Groups A to K under the JACS3 classification. Further information can be located at this link https://www.hesa.ac.uk/component/content/article?id=1787.[2] Figures are taken from Supplementary Table SE1 of HESA's Performance Indicators (https://hesa.ac.uk/pis/emp)[3] Statistics are expressed as a percentage of UK domiciled graduates who were working, studying or seeking work.[4] In this table 0, 1, 2 are rounded to 0. All other numbers are rounded up or down to the nearest 5.[5] Due to changes on the DLHE questionnaire in 2011/12 and hence changes to the derivation of the activity categories, the employment indicator for 2011/12 onwards is not strictly comparable with the indicator prior to 2011/12.

UK Trade With EU

Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the United Kingdom's three largest (1) exports to, and (2) imports from, the European Union.

Lord Maude of Horsham: The three largest UK exports to, and imports from, the European Union in 2014 are set out in the table below. These data are on a balance of payments basis.Three largest UK exports to the European Union in 2014 Value (£ billion)Finished manufactures (SITC 7+8) 63Semi-manufactures (SITC 5+6) 43Fuels (SITC 3) 27 Three largest UK imports from the European Union in 2014 Value (£ billion)Finished manufactures (SITC 7+8) 114Semi-manufactures (SITC 5+6) 66Food, beverages and tobacco (SITC 0+1) 27Source: ONS UK Trade August 2015 release Note: the assessment of the top three was made across goods and services, but services categories do not rank in the top three

Wales Office

Legislation: Wales

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions since the National Assembly for Wales acquired full legislative powers (1) the Welsh Government has sought permission under Minister of the Crown functions for proposals within Welsh bills, and (2) such permission was refused.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Secretary of State consent to amend Minister of the Crown functions has been sought in relation to seven of the Acts passed by the Assembly since 2011. The Government has refused such consent once, in relation to the Local Government Byelaws (Wales) Act 2012, having suggested an amendment to the drafting which would have enabled the UK Government to give consent but was rejected by the Welsh Government.

Department for Education

Castes: Discrimination

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next plan to consider the case for further consultation on caste discrimination.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are currently considering the need for a consultation on caste discrimination. This is part of our wider consideration of the implications of the Tirkey v Chandok tribunal judgments.

Academies: Finance

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding has been allocated via the academy conversion grant in each of the last five financial years.

Lord Nash: There have been 3,327 converter academies opened during the current and preceding four financial years, each receiving the standard conversion support grant of £25,000 to spend on the conversion process.Further details are in the table below:Financial YearConverter academies opened2014-156082013-145732012-137862011-121,100Total3,327Figures for 2015-16 are not available at this stage.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Mobility

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what definitions of social mobility are used by the new Social Mobility Commission, and whether they refer to changes in income.

Lord Freud: Provisions to reform the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission as the Social Mobility Commission are currently under consideration by Parliament as part of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill. Until these receive Royal Assent, the Commission will continue to operate under its existing statutory framework. Operating arrangements for the reformed Commission will be set in due course, subject to Royal Assent.

Social Security Benefits

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) whether the proposed new, lower benefit cap has a gendered effect, and (2) whether any such effect would be mitigated by excluding certain child benefits from that cap.

Lord Freud: Her Majesty’s Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July, a copy of which is attached.Like other welfare benefits, child related benefits are taken into account when applying the cap. Removing them from the cap would effectively mean that there would be no upper limit on the amount of benefit that out of work households could receive.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have to support the statement in the 2012 impact assessment Housing Benefit: Under-occupation of social housing that the introduction of the under-occupancy charge would have no impact on health and well-being.

Lord Freud: Following on from the 2012 impact assessment an independent two year evaluation was commissioned that looked at the effects of this policy.The report is due to be published by the end of the year.

Home Office

Police Community Support Officers

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police community support officers there were in each police force in England and Wales in each year since 2010.

Lord Bates: The attached tablecontains statistics on the number of full-time equivalent police community support officers in each police force area in England and Wales as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2015.Number of full-time equivalent1 police community support officers by police force area, England and Wales, as at 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2015231-Mar-1031-Mar-1131-Mar-1231-Mar-1331-Mar-1431-Mar-15Avon & Somerset430416365356334331Bedfordshire1161251129496105Cambridgeshire209200193174141148Cheshire237221218208190225Cleveland193178167161150123Cumbria111104102768386Derbyshire181177171183160163Devon & Cornwall363353357421382346Dorset164164153140154163Durham175174173171152157Dyfed-Powys838097143150147Essex445404380331298262Gloucestershire148139132138118128Greater Manchester842837818793789804Gwent143142191234206185Hampshire347344340341323302Hertfordshire262252257238190210Humberside317309290298294273Kent387364333297345352Lancashire428386411368301331Leicestershire233232236222235234Lincolnshire149144152151145138London, City of524438391211Merseyside468440426378316353Metropolitan Police4,6454,0092,7602,6842,0871,787Norfolk275264254250247197Northamptonshire164166161127134122Northumbria438433424391234211North Wales157159219262267243North Yorkshire198182186173185196Nottinghamshire268273264300332318South Wales335304308430477411South Yorkshire328311290335334314Staffordshire237228209213215208Suffolk173162164163181167Surrey224229228210153123Sussex377351335358349325Thames Valley500506508483485459Warwickshire1381361091139586West Mercia279273271248237209West Midlands811758711681676620West Yorkshire763713728689679625Wiltshire126133152140132129England and Wales16,91815,82014,39314,20513,06612,3311. This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been presented to the nearest whole number but are actually provided unrounded.2. These figures are published in the 'Police Workforce, England and Wales' statistical releases: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.



FTE police community support officers
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.65 KB)

Crime: Older People

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of (1) crime against older people, and (2) fear of crime amongst older people; and what steps they are taking to address both the incidence and fear of crime against older people.

Lord Bates: The Home Office has made no specific assessment of the level of crime against older people, and fear of crime amongst older people. The attached tablesshow figures from the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) for the year to March 2015 for (1) the percentage of adults in each age group who were victims of crime, and (2) the percentage of adults in each age group who had high levels of worry about crime.Police reform is working and the Crime Survey shows that overall crime is down by more than a quarter since 2010. We continue to develop the role of our elected and accountable Police and Crime Commissioners to shape policing services to local needs and priorities, as they are now doing in commissioning victims’ services, setting policing priorities and driving reform.



Figures from CSEW
(Word Document, 15.46 KB)

Refugees: Iraq

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 22 October (HL2920), how many Iraqis have been granted refugee status in the United Kingdom in each year since 2010.

Lord Bates: The numbers of Iraqi nationals (main applicants and dependants) granted asylum or another form of protection in the UK, in each year since 2010 were as follows:Number of Iraqi nationals granted asylum or another form of protection in the UK (for main applicants and dependants), based on initial decisions1 YearTotal grants2 2010169201111320129520131092014208(1) Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and exclude the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.(2) Total grants include grants of Asylum, Humanitarian Protection, Discretionary Leave, grants under family and private life rules, Leave Outside the Rules and UASC leave



Number of Iraqi nationals
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.92 KB)

Police: Biometrics

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 November (HL2849) on the review of retention of custody images by police forces, what are the specific operational and legal issues raised in the evidence-gathering stage, how they plan to address each issue, and what is the timescale for the completion of each of those actions.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 November (HL2849) on the review of retention of custody images by police forces, with which specific stakeholders they have discussed that issue and whether each has submitted evidence.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 November (HL2849) on the review of retention of custody images by police forces, whether they have carried out legal and risk assessments; if so, whether they will publish those assessments; and if not, why not.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 November (HL2849) on the review of retention of custody images by police forces, when the review will be completed, and when the guidance will be published.

Lord Bates: The review is ongoing, and is anticipated to report before the Christmas recess. Specific stakeholders consulted as part of the review include the Biometrics Commissioner, the Information Commissioner, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner, the National DNA Database Ethics Group, the National Police Chiefs Council , the College of Policing and local police forces. The report can be expected to address the operational and legal issues and risks, and set out plans for implementation.

Cabinet Office

Orders and Regulations

Lord Stone of Blackheath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many statutory instruments were made in the first five months of (1) the 2010–15 Parliament, and (2) this Parliament.

Lord Bridges of Headley: For the period 18 May 2010 to 18 October 2010, 290 statutory instruments were made or laid in draft. For the period 18 May 2015 to 18 October 2015, 268 statutory instruments were made or laid in draft.

Orders and Regulations

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define (1) a fatal, and (2) a non-fatal, motion, or amendment to a motion, relating to a statutory instrument.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The Companion to the Standing Orders distinguishes between amendments to approval motions whose effect is to withhold the agreement of the House to an affirmative instrument, and amendments or motions that do not prevent approval of the instrument (Companion to the Standing Orders, Para. 10.14). The terms “fatal” and “non-fatal” do not appear. The amendments in the name of Baroness Meacher and Baroness Hollis of Heigham passed by the House on 26 October withheld the House’s agreement to the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) Regulations 2015.

English Votes for English Laws

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new rules for English Votes for English Laws relating to votes on matters that have been returned from the House of Lords to the House of Commons during parliamentary ping-pong will allow for amendments to, and substitution of, Lords amendments, as well as the rejection of Lords amendments.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: Members of the House of Commons will continue to be able to table amendments to, and suggest the substitution or rejection of, Lords amendments, as they can now.

Department of Health

Spina Bifida

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the lifetime direct medical costs associated with spina bifida, compared to births without spina bifida.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department has not made an assessment of the lifetime direct medical costs associated with spina bifida, compared to births without spina bifida.We are however aware of research from 2011 in the European Journal of Pediatrics which shows the costs to be significant. A copy is attached and can be found at:http://www.researchgate.net/publication/51148532_Economic_burden_of_neural_tube_defects_and_impact_of_prevention_with_folic_acid_A_literature_review



European Journal of Pediatrics
(PDF Document, 256.35 KB)

Salt

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to emerging evidence relating to the appropriate level of dietary sodium intake; what meetings Ministers have had with scientists and others about that issue; and what representations they have received regarding dietary sodium intake.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The evidence base relating to dietary sodium intake was extensively reviewed in the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s (SACN) report ‘Salt and Health’, published in 2003. In reviewing the evidence, SACN noted that the greatest benefits were likely to be achieved by taking a population approach to reducing salt intakes rather than through individual targeted advice. SACN continues to monitor average salt intakes through a programme of dietary survey work.New voluntary salt reduction targets have been developed for 76 specific food groups that contribute most to people’s salt intakes and major retailers, manufacturers and caterers are working to meet these targets by December 2017.SACN has also reviewed the evidence around the impact of low sodium intakes. It found no basis for changing the existing recommendation for a target reduction in average salt intake to 6 grammes per day for the adult population, equivalent to an average reduction of 2.4 grammes per day of sodium.SACN’s ‘Salt and Health’ report is attached and can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-salt-and-health-reportBaroness Masham of Ilton has recently asked three questions about dietary sodium intake. Further representations have been received from the Salt Association. Ministers have not met with scientists and others about this issue.



Salt and Health Report
(PDF Document, 372.42 KB)

Stem Cells

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the 2014 report of the UK Stem Cell Strategy Oversight Committee on the future of unrelated donor stem cell transplantation in the United Kingdom.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government continues to take forward work to deliver the recommendations in the 2014 report. We remain committed to improving stem cell transplantation services and doing all we can to help those in need of a transplant to find a suitable donor.Since 2011, the Department has provided its delivery partners, NHS Blood and Transplant and the Anthony Nolan, a total of £16 million in additional, new funding to improve stem cell transplantation services in the United Kingdom. A further £3 million investment was announced in March 2015.This funding has led to a tangible improvement in the availability of stem cells in the UK and the achievements include:- More UK patients received a stem cell transplant in 2014 than ever before;- Over 60% of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) patients are now able to find a well matched donor compared to only 40% in 2010;- A single unified bone marrow donor registry has been created streamlining the provision of stem cells and reducing the time to provide cells from adult donors;- The proportion of patients receiving cord blood from UK donors has significantly increased; and- An increase in UK patients receiving a transplant from 802 in 2010/11 to 1,060 in 1013/14. The increased use of UK-sourced stem cells has meant that more donors than ever are available to donate leading to a significant cost saving by reducing the need to import stem cells.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to improve rates of early diagnosis of cancer.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Improving early diagnosis of cancer is a priority for this Government. We will continue to work with NHS England, Public Health England and other partners to achieve early diagnosis through improved screening programmes, Be Clear on Cancer campaigns to raise awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer to encourage people with signs and symptoms to present promptly to their general practitioner (GP), and help for GPs to refer more accurately.We have committed to implementing recommendation 24 of the Independent Cancer Taskforce’s report that by 2020, everyone referred with a suspicion of cancer will receive either a definitive diagnosis or the all-clear within four weeks. NHS England is working with partners across the health system to consider how best to take this forward. A copy of the Taskforce’s report Achieving World-Class Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, is attached.NHS England has launched a major early diagnosis programme, Accelerate, Co-ordinate, Evaluate (ACE), working jointly with Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support to test new innovative approaches to identifying cancer more quickly. Outputs from the first wave of test sites, which commenced in April 2015, will be delivered on a phased basis, with the majority falling between September 2015 and December 2016. It is expected that ACE Wave 1 evaluation will be complete by mid-2017. An ACE Wave 2 is being planned.In June this year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published an updated guideline ‘Suspected cancer: recognition and referral’. The guideline focuses on key symptoms, to make it easier to use and will continue to support GPs to identify patients with signs and symptoms of suspected cancer, and urgently refer them as appropriate. The guideline recommends a lower referral threshold for urgent referrals where cancer is suspected. A copy of the guideline is also attached.



Achieving World Class Outcomes
(PDF Document, 4.91 MB)




Suspected cancer
(PDF Document, 306.04 KB)

NHS Improvement

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what legislative changes they propose in order to bring together Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority within NHS Improvement.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are bringing together Monitor, the Trust Development Authority (TDA), and patient safety and improvement functions from across the health system, under one single leadership and operating model – known as NHS Improvement.A number of changes to secondary legislation, covering directions and regulations to the TDA, will be required to support this work. Work is ongoing to bring forward a set of proposals which will be laid before the House in the new year.

Mental Patients

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Prior of Brampton on 2 November (HL2863 and HL2866), and in the light of the fact that data about the detention of different groups of mental health patients under different segregated regimes, and the number of police call-outs to mental patient wards to deal with incidents involving different groups of mental health patients, are not collected centrally, whether they have any plans to change the way in which they collect data about patients in mental health wards.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department of Health and Care Quality Commission (CQC) currently use a range of processes to monitor the quality of mental health services, including inspections, surveys, notification of the CQC by providers of certain events and analysis of national data collections. As part of this process the Health and Social Care Information Centre reviews of the content and frequency of data collection through the Mental Health and Learning Disability Minimums Data Set.